Redefining Cdc14 Phosphatase: Exposing Roles in Flagellated Cells Through Studies of an Oomycete

智力价值这个项目专注于一种名为CDC14的蛋白质。这种蛋白质最初被描述为细胞生长过程中细胞核复制的调节器，通常认为在大多数生物体中发挥这一作用。然而，最近的发现与这一传统模型相冲突。这项研究将通过研究致病疫霉为CDC14的故事带来一个新的视角，这种植物病原微生物是19世纪中期爱尔兰历史上S饥荒的原因，至今仍是对粮食生产的主要威胁。致病疫霉通过形成菌丝生长，菌丝形成静止的孢子，继而释放游动的孢子。它的CDC14是形成游动孢子所必需的，大部分蛋白质定位于游动器官，也被称为鞭毛。为了更多地了解CDC14的功能，我们将进行实验，以准确地定义蛋白质在细胞中的位置，了解它如何定位于这些位置，测试它如何影响游动孢子的行为，并研究可能受CDC14调控的蛋白质。这项工作将有助于制定一个统一的主题来解释CDC14在致病疫霉和其他物种中的功能(S)。这也可能与理解鞭毛的形成和进化有关，鞭毛在单细胞和多细胞有机体的生命周期中都是核心的。短杆菌的影响疫霉及其近亲在农业和自然环境中对动植物造成了许多破坏性疾病。这项研究可能会导致防止这些系统损失的方法，例如通过识别细胞靶标，如果被抑制，就会阻止宿主的感染。这项工作还整合了研究、教育和推广，因为它将培养博士后研究员、研究生和本科生。这位研究人员有支持来自代表性不足群体的学生进行本科生研究的记录，并为卵菌研究社区提供实验工具和培训。这类活动将在整个项目期间继续进行。

Intellectual MeritThis project focuses on a protein called Cdc14. The protein was described initially as a regulator of the replication of nuclei during cell growth, and is generally assumed to play that role in most organisms. However, recent findings conflict with that traditional model. This research will bring a new perspective to the Cdc14 story by examining Phytophthora infestans, a plant pathogenic microbe that was the cause of the historic Irish Famine of the mid-1800's and is still a major threat to food production. P. infestans grows by forming hyphae that make stationary spores that in turn release swimming spores. Its Cdc14 is needed to form the swimming spores, and much of the protein localizes to the swimming apparatus, also known as flagella. To learn more about the function of Cdc14, experiments will be performed to define precisely where in the cell the protein resides, learn how it is targeted to those locations, test how it influences swimming spore behavior, and study proteins that may be regulated by Cdc14. This work will contribute to the development of a unified theme to explain the function(s) of Cdc14 in P. infestans and other species. It will likely also be relevant to understanding the formation and evolution of flagella, which are central to the life cycles of both single-cell and multicellular organisms.Broader impactsPhytophthora and its relatives cause numerous destructive diseases on plants and animals in agriculture and natural environments. The research may lead to ways to prevent losses in those systems, for example by identifying cellular targets that if inhibited would block infection of hosts. The work also integrates research, education, and outreach, as it will train a postdoctoral fellow, graduate students, and undergraduates. The investigator has a record of supporting undergraduate research by students from under-represented groups, and providing the oomycete research community with experimental tools and training. Such activities will continue throughout this project.